Travel Notes

TRAVEL BOOMLET

Russian travel companies are estimating that foreign tourism to Russia grew 50-70% this summer, Vedomosti daily reported. “What is happening now is even beyond our expectations,” said Tatyana Chuvilkina, executive director of the information service BANKO. “The main reason is a more or less stable political situation.” General director of VIT-Inform, Alexei Zhegalov, said his company has observed an increase in tourism to Golden Ring cities of “more than 50%,” with Suzdal being the most popular destination. Meanwhile, tour operators complained of a catastrophic shortage of hotel rooms in Suzdal to keep up with demand. The local State Tourist Complex (GTC) has only 500 beds. Lest they lose clients, local travel agencies will often lodge travelers in nearby Vladimir. 

JUST DESSERTS

As many as 7,500 Russian GAI (road police) officers have violated corporate discipline or Russian laws in the last 2 years. That number equals one in twelve GAI officers. As a result of special measures aimed at cracking down on corruption, 1,500 officers of the infamous GAI (recently renamed GIBDD) were fired. In Moscow, 155 violations were registered and only nine GIBDD officers fired. 

AIRBUS ALLIANCE

The Russian delegation attending the international air show in Farnborough in July held negotiations with Airbus Industrie regarding Russia’s eventual participation in the construction of a large capacity aircraft, the A-3XX. (Prime-TASS news agency) 

Open Dvor

In a bid to attract tourists interested in a bit of the old with the new, a unique, wooden hotel called Russky Dvor (Russian Courtyard) has been built in Khanty-Mansiysk, in the Northern Urals. Despite its quaint appearance, the hotel’s 

Ride Down Memory Lane

A restored 1940s-style tram is taking passengers and tourists on a old route from VDNKh to Sokolniki in Moscow’s Northeast region. Above, a happy young passenger meets the tram with open arms. For Russians (and Muscovites in particular) the tram is a favorite type of public transportation. It is often cited in songs and literature, e.g., the good old “Annushka” (a name for the “A” tram in the Chistye Prudy region) gave birth to the song “Annushka-Starushka” (“Good Old Anna”). The love song, “You never came today,” ends with the melancholy lyrics, “And the last tram left for the parking station.” And of course there is the fateful role of the tram in Mikhail Bulgakov’s classic novel, The Master and Margarita.